The Ultimate Skincare Routine For Combination Skin

What is combination skin?

Combination skin is a mix of dry and oily patches – a combination of the two if you will. While the dry areas tend to be around your cheeks and jawline, the oiliness is usually along your T-zone (forehead, nose and chin).

How do you know if you have combination skin? Wash your skin with a gentle cleanser, ideally sulphate and alcohol free, and avoid using any products for 20 minutes or so. If your T-zone feels a little greasy and your cheeks seem a bit tight, it’s likely you have combination skin.

You can also pop into your local Space NK store where our beauty advisors can help determine your skin type and point you in the right direction in terms of the best combination skin products.

What causes combination skin?

As with most skin types, combination skin is largely genetic. That being said, your hormones can exacerbate the oiliness and combination skin can be more prominent during puberty, around your period and the menopause when your hormones are in a state of flux. Lifestyle and environmental factors including stress, lack of sleep, pollution and the change of season can also affect it.

Regardless of the trigger, when your sebum glands go into overdrive your skin will feel and look oilier. This can lead to blocked pores and result in blackheads and breakouts if it’s not addressed with the correct skincare products.

How to choose the right skincare for combination skin?

When it comes to finding the best skincare products for combination skin it’s all about balance. You want to rebalance the oiliness without stripping the dry areas, which can send your sebum glands into overdrive producing more oil to overcompensate. Here are some of the best ingredients to look out for if you have combination skin.

Hyaluronic acid:

Keeping your skin hydrated is key and hyaluronic acid is one of the best hydrating ingredients and does so without clogging your pores. We recommend adding a hyaluronic acid serum into your skin if your routine if you have combination skin. Both The Ordinary Marine Hyaluronics, $8.90 and Dr. Barbara Sturm Hyaluronic Serum, $325.00 are great options.

Niacinamide:

Niacinamide not only helps to refine pores and regulate oil production, but it also helps to bolster your skin barrier. It’s a great ingredient to use if you have combination or oily and acne-prone skin. The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%, $6.00 is particularly good as it includes zinc which helps to soothe skin.

Salicylic acid:

If you’re experiencing a bout of oiliness along your T-zone, salicylic acid is a great ingredient to use as it gently exfoliates and helps to loosen blocked pores, thus helping to ease and prevent breakouts. Don’t be tempted to overuse it though as you might dry out your skin. We love Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant, $15.60 for keeping blackheads and blemishes at bay.

Vitamin C:

Vitamin C offers antioxidant protection and helps to give your skin a brightening boost. It’s one of our most searched for ingredients because it’s versatile and effective. If you have combination skin, it’s definitely worth adding a vitamin C serum, like NATURIUM Vitamin C Complex Serum, $29.00, into your routine.

The best morning skincare for combination skin

So, we know what causes combination skin and which ingredients we should be using, but what is the best skincare routine for combination skin? We’ve broken it down into an AM and PM routine to help.

Step 1: Cleanse

Step 2: Tone

Toner might have fallen out of fashion in the last 15 years or so, but if you have combination or oily skin it’s a great product to get better acquainted with. The best toners for combination skin will contain salicylic acid to help minimise oil and loosen blocked pores. We love the Paula’s Choice BHA formula we recommended above and would suggest using it at least once or twice a week in your routine along your T-zone.

Step 3: Serum

This is where you should apply your powerhouse ingredients such as hyaluronic acid serum and vitamin C formulas. We’re currently loving the new Sarah Chapman C1 Vitamin C Power 1 Serum, $117.00 as it provides a potent dose of vitamin C.

Step 4: Moisturise

For us, the best moisturiser for combination skin is Skin Rocks The Moisturiser, $72.00 as it offers maximum hydration in a lightweight formula that doesn’t feel heavy – even on the oiliest of areas. While it might be tempting to skip this step if your skin is feeling particularly oily, we recommend always using a moisturiser to help balance your skin and prevent dry patches.

Step 5: Protect (and reapply)

SPF is essential for all skin types, even when your skin is feeling oily and breaking out. is a great sunscreen for combination skin as it won’t irritate any breakouts and it helps to mattify any shiny patches. Trust us, you won’t regret investing in this formula.

The best nighttime skincare routine for combination skin

Your evening routine doesn’t have to be too dissimilar to the morning and the majority of your products should work for both. We’ve taken out the ‘tone’ step but depending on your skin you can definitely tone in the evenings too. Just make sure you’re not over-exfoliating!

Step 1: Cleanse

Cleansing in the evening is just as important as the morning, if not more so as you’ll be washing away dirt, grime, makeup and SPF that are all sitting on the surface on your skin. You can use the same cleanser, or you might want to double cleanse and use Caudalie Vinoclean Cleansing Almond Milk, $23.50 first for a more thorough clean.

Step 2: Exfoliate

If you’re using a BHA toner in the evening as well as the morning, you might want to use an exfoliating scrub or mask once or twice a week. We really rate Tula Skincare So Polished Exfoliating Sugar Scrub, $34.00 as it helps to slough away dry, dead surface skin while still maintaining your skin barrier.

Step 3: Treat

Use your hyaluronic acid serum and niacinamide treatment in the evening to help hydrate and rebalance your skin. If you use retinol, this is when you should apply it.

Step 4: Moisturise

As long as your day cream doesn’t include SPF, you can use it as part of your nighttime routine. If you’re looking for a night cream for combination skin, try Summer Fridays Cloud Dew Oil-Free Gel Cream Moisturizer, $58.50 or Kate Somerville Oil-free Moisturiser, $84.50. Both are intensely hydrating and oil-free.

Our final words on taking care of combination skin

Combination skin is all about balance between hydration and exfoliation. We recommend opting for lighter textures and layering rather than coating your skin with rich creams. Don’t be tempted to over-exfoliate, even if your T-zone is feeling super oily as you’ll end up with dry, flaky, irritated skin and potentially breakouts.